Substance Use and Risky Behaviors among college students The increase in misusing substances in the college student population has led to fatal risky behaviors. Research has shown within the college student population substances have been misused leading to students’ actions contributing to fatal accidents. Throughout the years, there has been surveys, test, interventions amongst universities to evaluate students’ emotions, self-control and cognitive functions. Although each system used to evaluate students were different each system provided the same information. Results showed that college students lack self-control when it comes to substances or alcohol. Many experts’ feel college students are more likely to make risky behaviors because they have more freedom, easier access and are under more …show more content…
The Executive Cognitive is an umbrella term that involves the frontal lobe, which is responsibly for the response inhibition, self-regulation, working memory, strategy development and self-motivation. Due to the highly prevalent misused substances the Executive Cognitive Function is affected tremendously. In the past, Barkley and Fischer used The Barkley’s Deficits in Executive Functioning scale for adults. Scale is based off five subscales: (1) self-management to time, (2) self-organization and problem solving, (3) inhibition, (4) self-motivation, (5) self-activation and concentration. Brunelle and Flood used The Barkley’s Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) to assess the relationship between ECF and substance misuse. Using 154 students, 39% students met criteria for hazardous alcohol usage and 19% met criteria for hazardous drug use. Research by Brunelle and Flood (2015) supports problematic alcohol users differ from non-problematic use and these results suggest that the BDEFS may be a valuable tool to assess ECF impairment in substance